Sunday Ride Then Dinner with New Friends

We had another great day on Sunday.  Our friends were feeling better and were up for a short ride around town.  We left around 3:30 pm and rode north and then east along a good stretch of bike trails.  The weather was perfect and the conversation was pleasant as we rode along enjoying the sights and sounds of the east side.  We eventually made it over to Mason Park.  Such a pretty park!  It was near the neighborhood of Idylwood and the bayou, along with the rolling hills and all the lovely green made for a beautiful setting.  I could have ridden for several more hours, but everyone was getting a little hungry so we headed home and had dinner with our friends.

We have really enjoyed spending time with Susan and Allan.  They have such an extensive knowledge of the area and Allan knows all the best places to go for cycling.  We have a lot more rides planned and I can't wait to see what new places we will explore on our next ride!  Seeing Houston on the back of a bike is the VERY best way to experience the city!

Jandek at the Menil Museum

Thanks to a very informed friend, we are able to find out about a lot of great events taking place in Houston.  :)  One such event was a free concert at the Menil Museum this past Saturday night.  We were supposed to ride our bikes over with friends, but unfortunately their family got hit with a nasty virus and they were just too sick to go.  We decided to go ahead and go on our own and I'm really glad we did.  I would have liked to have ridden our bikes, but we were really relying on our friends who know the best route to take and they were home sick.  Earlier that day, Jimmy and I rode our bikes to downtown and did some shopping at Macy's.  I was surprised how very little was open on a Saturday, but we found a lot of what we were looking for at Macy's and the ride downtown was quiet and relaxing.  On our way home, we stopped off at Discovery Green.  What a beautiful park!  It was absolutely packed with families!  Sometime we will have to take the kids there for some ice skating.  All in all, Saturday was a really nice day, even though we missed our bike ride with our friends.

Outdoor Living

The weather here has been AMAZING!  We have really enjoyed the sunny days and warm weather that living in Houston affords us.  By this time in Illinois, we likely have had both snow and ice and the temps are already so cold.  Because the weather has been so beautiful we have spent A LOT of time outdoors on our front porch.  I think the front porch is my very favorite part of the house.  It is a wrap around porch with a lovely eating area and seating area.  I think we ate every dinner last week outside.  :)

I also feel more connected to the neighborhood when I spend a lot of time outside.  I met a neighbor down the street one day when were just hanging out on the front porch.  If I had been inside, I don't believe I would have met her until much later.  But, she happened to be walking by and we waved and started to chat.  Interestingly enough, it turns out she is from the place we just moved from in Illinois.  Small world :)

Cycling

I have loved cycling here in Houston.  I especially love riding my bike downtown.  I look for excuses to go downtown actually.  :)  Today, I rode my bike from my home in Eastwood to the downtown library, my bank's main branch downtown and I stopped off at Phoenicia's before heading home.  Even with all the construction going on, I have had absolutely no trouble getting around on my bike.  I have ventured outside of downtown also, but my favorite place to cycle has to be around the downtown area.  There is something really cool about riding amongst all the VERY tall skyscrapers.

I also really enjoy walking downtown.  Often, I will get off my bike and walk it through Discovery Green, a park we have in downtown.  I keep meaning to take the kids there one day, maybe for ice skating, but there always seems to be something else going on or I just forget.  I also enjoy the shops they have downtown.  I am not one for HUGE malls, so I like to stop by the different "Houston Centers" to do a little shopping.

Cycling has also been a great way to meet people in the neighborhood.  Plus, I think I am getting to know Houston better on the seat of my bike rather than the seat of my car.  All in all, living in Eastwood has proven to be very bike friendly for my lifestyle.  :)

Stolen Bike

Well, now a not-so-positive post...

4 days after my husband bought a new bike it was stolen off our front porch.  It was locked up (cable lock) to the railing of our front porch and the iron gate across the front of our yard was closed.  It wasn't locked, but it was closed.  Apparently, sometime during the night the bike was stolen.  They came into the yard even with a closed gate and cut the cable lock and took the bike.  The next day I went out and bought a padlock for the front gate.  Sucks that I have to do that :(  I also made sure to lock all the rest of the bikes in the shed out back that now also has a padlock on it.  I guess if this is the worst crime we see in Eastwood, then we are doing pretty well.

My Mom and Dad are coming to visit after Christmas.  They informed me last night that they had looked up the crime stats for our zip code.  I guess it made them nervous, but they say they are still coming.  Most of the crime was all non-violent, but there was some aggravated assault (I hear this is mostly domestic) and some murders.  I told them this is all part of living in such a big city and that most murders are not random. I take the approach of just being smart and not getting involved in illegal activities that would put me or my family at risk.  I am always aware of my surroundings and I am not under any illusions that I live in a crime-free area.

In the end, does this change my view point of Eastwood?  No.  Just it make me regret my choice in living here?  No.  Does it affect my comfort level in home and neighborhood?  No.  I love my neighborhood, warts and all :)

Welcome Home to 4629 Rusk St.

We found this wonderful basket waiting for us the day we took possession of the house in Eastwood.  It came as a welcome gift from one of Jimmy's co-workers.  It was a beautiful basket and we really enjoyed everything inside.  Mostly, it was just so heart warming to come to our new home with such a beautiful and thoughtful gift waiting for us.  :)

Thank you Hedra and Bill!!!!

Matthew's Birthday

Matthew's birthday came the week we moved into the house in Eastwood.  Poor kid, he didn't have the usual type birthday because I was just overwhelmed with everything going on.  However, I did take him of school to have lunch at Bohemeo's, brought cupcakes to school to share with his classmates and we all went out to eat as a family at Mandola's Deli in Eastwood.

I cannot say enough good things about Bohemeo's!  We love the food, the atmosphere, the service.... everything.  :)  Matthew loves the shrimp tacos the best.

The first pictures are of Matthew with his class at Lantrip.  I am amazed at how polite and sweet all the kids are.  Matthew is very happy at Lantrip and is making lots of friends.

We had dinner at Mandola's and the food was wonderful.  The owner came out and talked to us and welcome us to Eastwood.  We really enjoyed the atmosphere and the service there also.  :D

Lastly, we came home and opened presents and had cake and ice cream.  Poor Matthew had to have leftover cupcakes from school rather than a cake since I was just so busy trying to get the house put together after the big move, but he didn't seem to mind.

*quick note about Krogers in Eastwood:  I bought the cupcakes for Matthew's class at Krogers there in Eastwood and I want to give kudos to the women working in the bakery.  They were so kind and helpful to me.  They looked in back to find another container of cupcakes for me and I really appreciated the service I received there!

Trip to Phoenicia's

Here is my youngest and my middle child outside of Phoenicia's in downtown.  We rode our bikes (well, my youngest was on the back of my xtracycle) to downtown to pick up a few things before Thanksgiving.  We were at Phoenicia's longer than expected and then stopped at the Krogers in Eastwood before heading home.  By the time we were on our way home from Krogers it was dark, but that was okay because we had lights and the drivers did a good job of looking out for us.  :)

We LOVE cycling in Houston!  Phoenicia's is fantastic and we don't mind Krogers in Eastwood although we know a lot of people really don't like it.  Most of our grocery shopping is pretty scattered.  Sometimes it's Krogers, sometimes it's Central Market or Whole Foods in Montrose or Costco.... HEB in Montrose, Randalls in downtown.... ;D

Overall, I enjoy the fact that we have sooooooo many options available to us that are so close.  We never have to use the highway and enjoy the city streets as we find new, cool places along the way.  :)

Joshua's 15th Birthday

I have been away from blogging for soooooo long!  I really underestimated the time involved in moving in, settling 3 kids into school and trying to navigate around town for all the things you need once you move in to a new place ;)

I have MUCH to blog about!  But for now, I will start back with Joshua's birthday.  We had a wonderful night tonight!!!  First, I spent the morning with the principal of Eastwood Academy for the "Coffee with the Principal".  It was really informative and makes me more excited about the school and how much of a family Eastwood Academy is.   I met a neighbor of mine at the meeting this morning at Eastwood Academy.  She was really great.  A lot of the meeting was in spanish and she was great about translating for me.  The parents of Eastwood are very passionate about their kids' education.  In my opinion that is awesome.  But, back to Joshua's Birthday.  I took Joshua out to eat for lunch at Bohemeo's.  He loved the food of course and I enjoyed the time with my oldest.  ;)

Then, I picked him up from school with the rest of the family and we headed off to Sundance Cinema's downtown to watch "Hugo".  Great movie!  And, we absolutely loved Sundance!   Very clean, comfortable and just a super nice family experience.

After Sundance, we headed next door to Blue Fish Sushi.  My oldest LOVES sushi, so of course his birthday dinner MUST include sushi!  The food was amazing, the atmosphere was intriguing and the service was top notch.  They even brought Joshua a tempura fried ice cream dessert with a candle because it was his birthday.  It was the perfect ending to a nearly perfect day!  :)

Saturday School???

I just dropped Christopher off at Jackson Middle School for a Saturday SAT prep class.  Yes, he actually agreed to go!  ;)  Christopher was invited to join them even though the group had already been working together for awhile.  I am again impressed with Jackson Middle School.  The vice principal, Dr. Alvarez was actually there at the school working on a Saturday.  I had to stop by and get a calendar for the SAT prep class and I was really surprised to see him there.  Of course, there were several other teachers there for the SAT prep class and the magnet/vanguard coordinator was also there.  I'm completely impressed that so many teachers and administrators would give up their Saturdays to work with 7th graders to prep them for the SAT.  Not only that, but I know a lot of the teachers and most of the administrators stay at the school each day until 6:30pm.  I'm not sure if this is normal practice for school administrators, but to me it speaks to their dedication to the students.

Karate at Jackson Middle School

Christopher is taking Karate at Jackson Middle School for his P.E. credit.  He loves it!  I have never known a school that offers Karate for their Gym class.  Jackson Middle School is actually known for its Karate.  Christopher really enjoys the class and his teacher.  One thing that is nice is that his class is small, only about 19 kids.  Here are some pics of Christopher in his Karate uniform he just got it today and wanted to show me some moves.  :)

Spanish

Something that has become VERY apparent since I started the kids in school is the need to know Spanish. I believe everyone can speak English just fine, but I under estimated how out of place I would feel as the only one not knowing Spanish.  Maybe I wouldn't have noticed as much if I didn't have kids in school, but at the pickup and drop off of Matthew at Lantrip, all the people there to pick up their kids, are speaking Spanish.  I understand the need to speak in your native tongue, so I don't begrudge anyone for it, but I do feel isolated and completely out of touch.  Hence, the need for me to learn Spanish.... and sooner rather than later.  I think I will learn via Rosetta Stone.  I have heard really good things about it.

Lots of Homework!!!

Matthew is my youngest and he so far, has the most homework.  I would say he has about 90 minutes to 2 hours worth of homework so far each night.  Seems a bit excessive for a 3rd grader, but I'm happy so far with what he is learning.  He however, is NOT happy ;)

Either tomorrow or Thursday, Matthew will be tested to get into the gifted and talented program at Lantrip. He is the one that really wanted this.... but I'm a bit worried it may mean even MORE homework.

This is a picture of Matthew working on his homework in the lobby of the hotel we are staying at.  As you can see, he isn't too happy.  :(

Ready, Set, Go!

The day after tomorrow, we close on our home in Eastwood.  After living in a hotel and sending kids to school from a hotel room.... I'm really ready to be in our home!  At least I can say that with all the driving around I've had to do (I've put more miles on my car this past week than I have in a few months back in Illinois!) I have at least gotten to know the neighborhood well.  I'm also getting more familiar with Houston inside the loop.  Of course I imagine I will continue to get lost, but at least I have a feel for where things are now.

This picture was taken from our old home back in Illinois right before we moved to Houston.  It is kind of sad to leave the home we had for 6 years, but we are ready and set to go into our new lives in Houston!

Walk Downtown Today

After I got the kids all set for school, I walked from Lantrip Elementary to downtown.  It was a really nice walk, the weather was beautiful and I enjoyed some quiet time after the hustle and bustle of getting the kids all registered for school.  First, I headed to the main branch of our bank downtown to setup a safe deposit box.  After that, I walked around downtown, mostly along main street and admired the architecture of the downtown buildings, the cops on horseback and the lightrail.

I got hungry and saw a corner bakery on Main Street.  It reminded me of one I really liked back in Chicago.  I decided to stop off and have a light snack before anymore sightseeing.  It was really busy for 11 am, but the service and food was really good.  I sat outside and enjoyed people watching while I drank my coffee and had something to eat.

Next, I decided to head back to Eastwood, but first I stopped off at the brand new Phoenicia's in downtown.  It was packed!  Maybe it will always be busy, or maybe it was because it was the first day of its opening.  Regardless, I was really impressed with the store.  It is 2 stories high and features a cafe, bakery and specialty grocery store.  I didn't go upstairs, but I believe they have wine up there along with some other items.  I decided to get a treat for my boys for after their first day at school.  I found some home made caramels and the boys loved them!  I know I will be shopping at Phoenicia's often.  :)

I decided to see how long the walk would take me on the way home to Eastwood.  It ended up taking me exactly 40 minutes from Phoenicia's to the Lantrip visitor parking.  Not too bad.

First Day of School in Eastwood

Today was the boys official first day at Eastwood Schools.

The verdict is......

Great!  All three boys had very good days!  Matthew said everyone was really nice to him.  He didn't like his teacher at Lantrip as much as his previous teacher at Leal because this teacher at Lantrip is really strict.  However, he still had a great day and made a new friend already named Jaime.  I asked him if he learned any spanish from his classmates and he said, "no, they all speak perfect English."  :)  I said, " I know silly, I was just wondering if they taught you any spanish."

Christopher also had a very good day.  He liked his teachers and the students were all very nice to him.  He said it will take him a while to get used to the school and the schedule, but he made it through the day with no difficulties...Yay!  When I saw him after school, he was all smiles and I gave him the sign for thumbs up or thumbs down and he gave me the thumbs up sign.  :)

Joshua was the child who was most upset about moving from Illinois, but probably had the best day of the 3.  As I picked him up from Eastwood Academy, he had a whole group of ninth graders around him.  As he left, they all called out, "bye Josh!"  He had a huge smile on his face :)  He couldn't believe how friendly everyone is!

All in all, a great and successful day!

Go Eastwood!

Eastwood Park

Today was a very busy day of enrolling kids in school.  Right after we had finished up with the last enrollment, we headed to Bohemeo's in Eastwood for lunch.  Yummmm!  The food was amazing and the service was just as wonderful.  I love the coffee there, especially the Mexican Organic.  Plus, having access to wifi is a nice perk.

Just as we were finishing lunch, my husband called me and told me he wanted to come have lunch with us.  Even though we had just had lunch, we decided to meet him at Bohemeo's and while he had lunch, we would have dessert.  :)  It was one of those dessert kind of days anyway.  My husband's work place is only about 5 miles away, but he wouldn't actually be leaving work for another 1/2 an hour, so we decided to head to Eastwood Park while we waited for him.

My kids loved the park.  They were impressed with everything from the covered basketball court, baseball diamond, playground equipment, pool (although it's closed for the season) and especially the skate park.   I loved the view of downtown from the park :)  We will be living very close to the park, so I can see us spending a lot of time there together as a family.  We all really enjoy playing sports together.

Here are some pics of the park:

Matthew and Lantrip Elementary

Today was school enrollment day and after we finished with Christopher at Jackson, we headed to Lantrip for Matthew.  As was the case at Jackson Middle and Eastwood Academy, we were made to feel very welcomed into the school.  We were given a tour and Matthew was walking around with a huge smile on his face the whole time.  :)  I have to say, Lantrip is absolutely the most beautiful school I have ever seen.  The grounds are amazing, the architecture of the original building is fantastic and the way they seamlessly blended the new part of the building with the older part is truly impeccable.  I am so impressed with Lantrip, not only the beauty of the school, but everyone I met there.

There is truly so much school pride in all 3 of the Eastwood schools that my children will be attending.  As a Mom, I feel so good about sending my kids to these schools!

Jackson Middle School Vanguard Program

Today, my middle son, Christopher age 12 visited and enrolled at Jackson Middle School in Eastwood. Christopher applied to the Vanguard program at Jackson and was accepted!  When we visited the school today to do all the enrollment work, he was given a tour by two 7th grade Vanguard students.  These students were wonderful ambassadors for Jackson.  Very articulate, kind and welcoming of Christopher.  They answered all our questions and were a wealth of information.  We were introduced to several teachers and Christopher met the Vanguard coordinator.  All along the way, we were made to feel very welcomed into their school.  When we finished the tour and were on our way to the car, Christopher had a huge smile on his face and said, "this is awesome!"

Monday is his first day, and of course I will blog all about it!

Accepted!

Yesterday, Joshua had his interview with the Dean of Education and the Principal at Eastwood Academy.  The interview went very well.  Joshua was articulate in explaining himself and the Dean was very kind and answered all of Joshua's questions and addressed all of his concerns.  While I filled out some paperwork, Joshua was taken on a tour of the school.

Here is what we were told about Eastwood Academy and our impressions.

1.  Eastwood Academy is incredibly competitive.  The kids that attend are extremely driven to get good grades much like my son Joshua and work very hard to have the highest GPA possible.  This is part of the GPA game, taking as many weighted classes as possible so that you can have the highest GPA possible.  I can see good and bad in this.

2.  The students really do seem to enjoy the school and one talked about how "fun" Eastwood Academy is.  I was also told that the school is like a family.  Which is wonderful for my son since he feels so homesick for Illinois and his friends there.

3.  The principal is very no-nonsense but also very caring and kind.  I can really appreciate this.

4.  Joshua will have to take 2 courses online so as not to lose credit for them.  Government is not taken in HISD until senior year, however Joshua was taking it his freshman year in Illinois.  So, he will complete the semester online.  French is not currently offered at Eastwood Academy, so Joshua will have to complete a semester of French online.  Because of Joshua's natural drive, I have no doubt that he will do fine with the self-direction needed to complete the online courses.

In a nutshell, we are really happy for Joshua and look forward to his years at Eastwood Academy.  Joshua is nervous about the work involved this first semester to catch up, but he is up for the challenge!

Eastwood Home Tour

I wasn't able to attend the Eastwood Home Tour, but my husband Jimmy did.  He was so impressed.  But not just with the beautiful homes, but with the amazing people he met.  He was only able to tour 3 of the homes, but met several people along the way.  We even have an invitation to dinner with one of the residents once we move in!  :)

We are getting so close to our closing date, only about 2 weeks and a couple days!!!  I can hardly contain my excitement!  I'm excited about the 100 year old home we are purchasing, but more than that, I'm excited about all the amazing people I'm sure to meet.  This is just the neighborhood we were hoping for.... and the fact that it is a little rough around the edges, doesn't faze me a bit.  In fact, I really like it.  I have always preferred a neighborhood with a little grittiness to it.  :)  I read somewhere, a comment about living in an HOA master planned community... she said, "I'm not well behaved enough to live in one of those".  I smiled because I feel the same way.

Listening to my husband talk about the people he met and how open and friendly they were, made me so happy and content with our decision to live in Eastwood.  This is just the kind of neighborhood I want my kids to grow up in.  I want them to understand how important community is and why it is important to build those relationships with people.  I think my oldest already has a good grasp on why community is so important based on the answer he gave to a question on the Eastwood Academy application.  Joshua:  "I also know what a community is.  A small group of people that care and look out for each other.  A place like Eastwood."  I guess he does listen to me.  ;)